"Right now we are in an unprecedented fiscal position. As a matter of fact, Michael Widmer (director) of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation reported that state revenues for fiscal year 2010, will be $18 billion, a drop-off of $3.8 billion from 2008. Year to date ... this is the biggest two-year decline since World War II ..."
By Nancy Reardon, Medfield Press / GateHouse News Service
Michael Widmer, president of the business-backed Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, has been a vocal critic of choosing what he calls short-term fixes over long-term plans. "You take advantage of the opportunity in a fiscal crisis to make changes that will help over the long term," he said.
By Jim O’Sullivan and Gintautas Dumcius, Arlington Advocate / State House News Service
Widmer said the state could face further fiscal 2010 gaps of up to $500 million, even after a round of October budget remedies, largely cuts, totaling $484 million, along with a structural deficit next year that even with anticipated tax collection gains could hit $3 billion.
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